2017 books to read by Roxane Gay, David Sedaris and more

By Melissa Kravitz Special to amNewYork
January 24, 2017

With the new year comes a slew of brand-new books that should inspire you to make a little room on your bookshelf (or get ahead on your library preorders), so you can keep up with what everyone will be reading on the subway in 2017.

Debut novels, new books from beloved authors, memoirs and more are all on our reading list. We’ve picked out 10 books you need to read this year — and if that sounds like a lot, well, resolve to read more.

‘The Futures’

By Anna Pitoniak

Anyone who’s ever been a newcomer to New York will appreciate this coming-of-age novel following a couple of recent Yale grads as they find their futures in the big city, just in time for the financial crisis of 2008. (Out now)

‘The Animators’

By Kayla Rae Whitaker

Best friends since art school, Mel and Sharon decide to take on the male-dominated animation industry by starting their own cartoon company. Ten years later on the brink of major success with their first feature film, tension starts to build as their big break and personal relationships are both on the line. (Out Jan. 31)

‘The Refugees’

By Viet Thanh Nguyen

The 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner is back with a collection of short stories that could not be any more relevant for the years that lie ahead. Dedicated to all refugees, everywhere, Nguyen’s absorbing prose about people forced to leave their homes and begin anew should be mandatory reading for 2017. (Out Feb. 7)

‘Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London’

By Lauren Elkin

Part memoir, part urban history and completely packed with sharp cultural criticism and insight, this love letter to the exploration of cities by foot will intrigue anyone who has opted to traverse the sidewalks rather than swipe a MetroCard to get from place to place. (Out Feb. 28)

‘Exit West’

By Mohsin Hamid

Nadia and Saeed, a young couple in an unnamed country, decide to leave their home as violence escalates, along with a group of migrants fleeing to survive. The book’s 230 pages pack in romance, survival and an incredible portrait of the human experience. (Out March 7)

‘The Idiot’

By Elif Batuman

This debut novel from New Yorker writer Elif Batuman follows Selin, the daughter of Turkish immigrants, through her first official year of adulthood as she starts Harvard in 1995, takes a summer trip to Europe, falls in love and reconsiders much of what she thought she knew about the world. (Out March 14)

‘Give a Girl a Knife’

By Amy Thielen

Fans of Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” and Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones and Butter” will enjoy this chef’s memoir of learning to cook in Minnesota and dicing and deep-frying her way through the kitchens of some of New York’s most esteemed chefs. (Out May 16)

‘The Reminders’

By Val Emmich

Gavin Winters’ partner Sydney has died, and the reminders (his phone, linen curtains, old magazines) are too painful, so he sets them on fire, along with a good part of their West Hollywood home. Escaping the tragic setting of his former life, Gavin heads to New Jersey in a humorous and poignant exploration of loss, friendship and the importance of memories. (Out May 30)

‘Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002’

By David Sedaris

Beloved humorist David Sedaris offers up 25 hilariously recorded years of his life, in this 500-plus-page publication of his personal diaries. For those curious about the mind of a comic genius, this is a great place to start. (Out May 30)

‘Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body’

By Roxane Gay

If you’ve already read your way through Roxane Gay’s short story collection “Difficult Women,” which came out earlier this year — and if not, get on it — prepare yourself for the “Bad Feminist” author’s second book of the year, a memoir exploring body image, food and the importance of self-care. (Out June 13)